Christmas Facts and Statistics for 2024
Last Updated on: September 16th, 2024
Here are a few of the most interesting Christmas facts and statistics I was able to dig up in my internet travels. As always, be sure to check back in the future as I will be updating this post as new and updated stats become available.
With Christmas just around the corner, I am sure you are all running around buying and wrapping presents, cooking and traveling all over creation. I am in the same boat, but I thought it may be interesting to take a quick break and reflect on the holiday itself. For a holiday we spend so much time thinking about all year, there is still much we don’t know about it.
Post Contents
Christmas History
- Date of the first Christmas: December 25, 336 in Rome
- Year the first Christmas card was sent: 1611
- From 1647-1660, Christmas was banned in England by the Puritans
- Year that mistletoe was first associated with Christmas: The 18th century
- First time Christmas was a bank holiday: 1834 in the UK
- First US State to recognize Christmas: Alabama in 1836
- Year of the first commercial Christmas card: 1843
- Year Christmas became a US Federal holiday: 1870
- Year the candy cane was first associated with Christmas: 1874
Christmas Facts and Stats
- Percentage of Americans that celebrate Christmas: 92%
- Average amount Americans spend on holiday gifts: $663.96
- Average amount the British spend on holiday gifts: $522.56
- Percentage of Americans that send Christmas cards: 65%
- Percentage of Americans that see Christmas as a religious holiday: 51%
- Number of Christmas cards purchased annually: 1.6 billion
- Amount it would cost if you purchased everything in the 12 Days of Christmas: $34,558.65
- Poinsettias are originally from Mexico and were first brought to the US in 1825 by Joel Poinsett.
Christmas Tree History
- First recorded Christmas Tree: 1576 in Turckheim, Alsace
- Year the Christmas tree was introduced in the UK: 1832
- Year the Christmas tree was introduced in the US: 1850
- Year of the first known electrically-lit Christmas tree: 1882
- Year of the first lit US National Christmas Tree: 1923
- Year of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: 1933
Christmas Tree Facts and Stats
- Number of real Christmas trees sold in the US annually: 25-30 million
- Number of Christmas tree farms in the US: 15,000
- Number of Christmas trees growing in the US: 350 million
- Percentage of Americans that put up a Christmas tree: 79%
- Largest exporter of Christmas trees in the world: Canada
- Amount of land in the US that is dedicated to growing Christmas trees: 550 square miles
Santa Claus History
- When and Where did Saint Nicholas live: 4th century in Turkey
- First appearance of Father Christmas: 16th century
- Year “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (Twas the Night Before Christmas) was first published: 1823
- Year that the name ‘Kris Kringle’ was popularized: 1845
- First use of the name “Santa Claus” in the American press: 1773
- First appearance of Santa Claus in a Christmas parade: 1890
- Year that the editorial “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” was first published: 1897
- First appearance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: 1939
- Year that NORAD began tracking Santa Claus: 1955
- When was Mrs Claus popularized? 1950’s and 60’s
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer History
- Rudolph’s first appearance: 1939 in a Robert May book.
- Year that Johnny Marks’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song, sung by Gene Autry, was released: 1949
- Publication of Rudolph sequel Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Shines Again: 1954
- Year the Johnny Marks song Run Rudolph Run, sung by Chuck Berry, was released: 1958
- Year the Rudolph Little Golden Book was released: 1958
- Year the Rankin/Bass claymation Rudolph television special first aired: 1964 on NBC
- Subsequent Rankin/Bass Specials: Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976) and Christmas in July (1979)
- Year Rudolph first appears on a US postage stamp: 2014
Classic Christmas Movies With Release Dates:
- Babes in Toyland – 1934; 1961 (Disney version)
- Scrooge – 1935, 1951, 1970
- A Christmas Carol – 1938, 1971, 2009
- Holiday Inn – 1943
- The Bells of St Mary’s – 1945
- It’s a Wonderful Life – 1946
- Miracle on 34th Street – 1947
- White Christmas – 1954
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – 1964
- A Charlie Brown Christmas – 1965
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 1966
- The Little Drummer Boy – 1968
- Frosty the Snowman – 1969
- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – 1970
- The Year Without Santa Claus – 1974
- Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas – 1977
- A Christmas Story – 1983
- Mickey’s Christmas Carol – 1983
- Die Hard – 1988
- Scrooged – 1988
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – 1989
- Home Alone – 1990
- Home Alons 2: Lost in New York – 1992
- The Muppet Christmas Carol – 1992
- The Nightmare Before Christmas – 1993
- The Nutcracker – 1993
- The Santa Clause – 1994
- Dr Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 2000
- Elf – 2003
- The Polar Express – 2004
- The Holiday – 2006
- The Grinch – 2018
Classic Modern Christmas Songs:
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town – 1934
- Winter Wonderland – 1934
- Carol of the Bells – 1936
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – 1939
- White Christmas – 1940
- The Little Drummer Boy – 1941
- The Christmas Song – 1944
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – 1944
- Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! – 1945
- Here Comes Santa Claus – 1947
- Sleigh Ride – 1948
- Baby It’s Cold Outside – 1948
- Happy Holiday – 1948
- All I want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth – 1948
- Frosty the Snowman – 1950
- Silver Bells – 1950
- The Man With the Bag – 1950
- It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – 1951
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – 1952
- Santa Baby – 1953
- Up on the House Top – 1953
- I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas – 1953
- There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays- 1954
- Jingle Bell Rock – 1957
- Blue Christmas – 1957
- The Chipmunk Song (Alvin and the Chipmunks) – 1958
- Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – 1958
- Run Rudolph Run – 1958
- Must be Santa – 1960
- Dominick the Donkey – 1960
- Do You Hear What I Hear – 1962
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – 1963
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – 1963
- A Holly Jolly Christmas – 1964
- Little Saint Nick – 1964
- Silver & Gold – 1964
- Christmas Time is Here (Charlie Brown) – 1965
- My Favorite Things – 1965
- You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch – 1966
- We Need a Little Christmas – 1966
- Snoopy’s Christmas – 1967
- Feliz Navidad – 1970
- Happy Christmas (War is Over) – 1971
- Step Into Christmas – 1973
- Please Come Home for Christmas – 1978
- Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer – 1979
- Wonderful Christmastime – 1979
- Same Old Lang Syne – 1980
- Last Christmas – 1984
- Do they Know its Christmas? – 1984
- Christmas in Hollis – 1987
- All I Want for Christmas is You – 1994
- 12 Pains of Christmas – 1994
- My Only Wish This Year – 2000
- Where Are you Christmas? – 2000
- Believe – 2004
Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others. Most of these fun facts come from internet reports and may not be official tallies. No information contained on DMR should be relied upon to make investment decisions. Basically, this is the best I can find and I don’t guarantee anything to be 100%.
